Toilet seat and cover



April 18, 1939. B. WINDING TOILET SEAT AND COVER Filed July 8, 1937 .G WW 5% mm mm 5 Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

My invention relates to toilet seat and cover constructions and particularly to constructions which serve to reduce the noises incident to flushing and use of toilets and which serve to seal the space within the bowl so that gases and odors cannot escape therefrom. This application is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 43,365, filled October 3, 1935, now matured into Patent 2,114,551, wherein I have shown and described toilet silencers adapted to be applied to existing toilet seats and covers as an attachment thereto.

One of the objects of my invention is to eliminate or reduce the sounds and odors incident to the use of toilets.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved construction for toilet seats and covers which completely seal the toilet bowl and which are so constructed as to have sound deadening characteristics so as to eliminate sounds incident to the flushing and use of toilets and the clatter of the seat and cover when raised or lowered.

A further object of my invention is to provide a seal for the space between the seat and cover of a toilet as well as the space between the bowl and the seat so that a partial vacuum is produced within the bowl on flushing of the toilet and gases and odors are prevented from escaping from the bowl.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toilet seat which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, durable in construction and one in which. cracks or splits cannot be produced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a seat which is yielding and comfortable to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toilet seat with means to disinfect and deodorize the toilet and/ or the room in which it is located.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved toilet seat which is formed in part at least of cellular material such as rubber or the like which is sufliciently resilient to insure the maintenance of the desired seal when subjected only to its own weight or to the weight of the cover and to provide sealing means which are both cellular and impervious to liquids so that the sealing means may be maintained in a clean sanitary condition while at the same time presenting the desired sound deadening and sealing qualities thereof.

These and other objects and features of my invention will appear from the following description thereof in which reference is made to the accompanying figures of the drawing wherein typical embodiments of my invention are shown for the purpose of illustrating representative types of constructions in accordance with my invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a toilet seat and cover embodying my invention with a part thereof broken away to show the construction thereof.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the seat and cover construction illustrated in Fig. 1 take on the line 2-2 thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of an alternative form of toilet and cover embodying my invention.

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are each a vertical sectional view of a further alternative form of toilet seat embodying my invention, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the porous material embodied in a preferred form of each of the alternative constructions of Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive.

While my invention may take various forms and may be made of any suitable material that form of my invention chosen for purposes of illustration in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing comprises a seat 2 having a core or body 4 which is formed of any suitable relatively strong material. An outer covering layer 6 is provided which is made of sound deadening material of a resilient and yielding nature capable of cooperating with an adjacent member to seal the space therebetween. The core 4 may be made of hard rubber, metal, wood, compressed fiber or the like whereas the outer layer 6 may be made of soft rubber or other sound deadening material. A material particularly adapted for use in forming the outer layer and one which I prefer to use is porous or cellular material such as sponge rubber or cell tight gas expanded rubber of the type known as Rubatex.

Such cellular materials are resilient and sufiiciently soft to be deformed to the extent necessary to seal the space between the seat and the bowl and to fill any small irregularities or depressions therein when subjected to the weight of the seat alone or to the weight of the seat and cover. Sponge rubber molded or coated to present an impervious skin or Rubatex which is cell tight gas expanded rubber in which each cell is itself sealed from the adjacent cells, has been found to be very satisfactory for sealing the space between the surface of the seat and adjacent members. As shown in Fig. 8 such constructions have cells 8 therein and are formed with an outer impervious skin Ill so that the material is impervious to liquids and liquids cannot be taken up or held by the sealing member. Thus the seat is maintained in a. clean sanitary condition while the advantages of a resilient sound deadening sealing surface are secured.

A reinforcing member I2 of arcuate or other form is embedded in the material of which the seat is formed and is provided with hinge members I4 extending rearwardly therefrom to engage pivots I6 on the bolts l8. The reinforcing member may be embedded in the material of the core or attached thereto by pins 20 or the like as desired.

When the core is formed of hard rubber and the outer layer is formed of cellular rubber the two parts may be vulcanized together. Ordinarily the outer skin ID on the soft layer is produced in the original moulding operation but when desired it may be applied separately as a layer of rubber cement, resilient lacquer or a thin covering of highly elastic but impervious rubber.

A cover 22 for the seat is provided to cooperate with the seat 2 to completely seal the bowl and to aid in deadening sounds incident to flushing of the toilet. While a conventional hard cover 'of wood or other material may be used I prefer to form the cover with a core 24 of hard or strong material and an outer-covering 25 of soft resilient material presenting a downwardly facing sealing surface and an upper surface which also is soft and resilient so that the seat is comfortable to sit on even when the cover is closed. The cover 25 may be made of suitable material such as sponge or cell tight gas expanded rubber and has a lower face shaped to conform to the upper surface of the seat 2 to engage and seal the same when subjected only to its own weight. a

The seat and cover when so formed serve to provide a seal for the bowl which is sufficiently tight to maintain a partial vacuum within the bowl so that when the toilet is flushed odors and gases are drawn down the soil pipe with the flushing water and cannot escape into the room. The seat and cover further cooperate to deaden sounds incident to flushing of the toilet'due to the absorption of vibrations and noises by the cells or passages within the portions thereof.

The outer soft layer of the seat has the further advantage of rendering the seat soft and yielding so as to be more comfortable and healthful in use. Moreover even though the core 4 of the construction should crack or be split the outer yielding cover will retain its continuous unbroken and comfortable surface.

In constructing seats and covers in accordance with my invention it may be desired in some instances to form the soft cellular lower surface portions thereof separately from the harder upper surfaces thereof but. in such cases I prefer to have the two portions bonded together by vulcanization or otherwise to obtain a unitary and integral construction free from leaks or danger of becoming loose during use.

Disinfectant receiving recesses 26 and 28 may be formed in the seat 2 so as to communicate with the interior of the bowl or the exterior thereof to disinfect and deodorize both the interior of the toilet bowl and the surrounding area as in the forms of my invention described in my copending application referred to above. The disinfecting or deodorizing material in recesses 26 communicating with the interior of the bowl is subjected to the partial vacuum produced when the toilet is flushed so that vaporization thereof is accelerated and the fumes are drawn into the bowl to insure effective action thereof.

In that form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the seat is formed with the upper surface 30 thereof constructed of relatively stiff or hard material such as hard or dense rubber or the like, Whereas the downwardly facing sealing surface is formed of softer yielding sound deadening material such as soft, resilient, cellular rubber which serves as a sealing member preventing the escape of gases from between the seat and the bowl. At the same time the yielding lower sealing surface 32 renders the seat comfortable in use despite the hard upper wearing surface thereof. A hinge member 34 carried by a reinforcing member 36 such as that illustrated in Fig. l is also provided and may be embedded in the hard material of the upper portion of the seat or otherwise secured thereto. Disinfectant receiving recesses 38 may also be provided in the seat and may be arranged as shown to communicate with both the interior and the exterior of the toilet bowl.

The cover employed may be like that of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 but as shown is formed with a hard upper portion 40 and a downwardly facing sealing portion 42 shaped to conform to the-upper surface 30 of the seat. The lower surface is formed of resilient sound deadening and sealing material such as porous cell tight, gas expanded rubber. Each of the sealing surfaces 32 and 42 of the seat and cover respectively is preferably provided with an impervious outersurface as shown in Fig. 8 so as to provide a sanitary construction under all conditions of use.

The form of my invention illustratedin Fig. 4 is constructed to provide strength as well as to present sealing surfaces and may be made relatively cheaply by providing a sheet metal band or strip 44 as a core about which a relatively soft outer layer 46 of cellular rubber or other sealing and sound deadening material is molded or applied. The band 44 is secured to the hinge members 48 by rivets, welding, or otherwise, so that the seat and hinge members move as a unit Deodorant or disinfecting means may be used in conjunction with seats of this construction by providing recesses 50 in the outer layer 46 thereof or otherwise forming the seat to receive the deodorant.

The construction of Fig. 5 embodies a hollow tubular core 52 formed of metal, tubular rubber or other-material about which a resilient and yielding outer layer 54 is applied by casting molding or cementing operations. The hollow center of the core 52 may be designed for receiving deodorant and may be formed with openings 53 communicating with the interior of the bowlfor discharging the deodorant or fumes therefrom into the bowl. A filling opening 56 may be provided, communicating with the space within the tubular core and arranged to receive a plug 58 so that a seal may be maintained when the seat is in use or during flushing operations.

As shown in Fig. 6 the seat may be made en tirely of rubber or other material of a yielding sound absorbing nature and provided with a hol low center 6|! so that the seat is readily deformable to seal the space between the seat and the bowl, and the space between the seat and the cover.

As shown in Fig. '7 the seat maybe made in a laminated form with a stiff strong central layer 62 and upper and lower layers 64 and 66 of resilient sound deadening and sealingmaterial adapted to cooperate with a seat cover to seal the bowl.

It will be noted that each of the forms of the invention herein described embodies means which cooperatewith the toilet bowl and the cover to define a space which is completely sealed. Since the level of the water within the bowl is lowered and a certain amount of air is sucked down the soil pipe by rush-of the flushing water during the flushing operation, the sealing means of the present invention serve to cause a partial vacuum to be produced within the sealed space thereby positively preventing the escape of air and gases from within the toilet bowl into the room. Moreover, the sealing means employed because it is soft and resilient serves as a sound deadening means which muffies the sounds incidental to the flushing of the toilet and thus avoids the embarrassment and annoyance caused by the use and operation of conventional constructions. The partial vacuum created during the flushing operation also serves to accelerate the vaporization or sublimation of the disinfecting or deodorizing means used and communicating with the bowl and aids in drawing the fumes therefrom into the toilet bowl from the recesses in which the deodorant is located thus rendering the action thereof more effective.

While I have herein referred in detail to a number of constructions in which my invention may be embodied, numerous changes and modifications may be made in the form and construction thereof and therefore it should be understood that the types of my invention herein shown and described are intended for the purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of a toilet seat and cover adapted for use in combination with a toilet bowl to deaden sounds incident to the use of the toilet comprising a seat having a downwardly facing sealing surface formed of resilient cellular rubber with an outer skin substantially impervious to liquids and readily deformable toprovide a seal between the seat and the bowl, said cover having a portion thereof formed of resilient cellular rubber adapted to engage the upper surface of the seat, said seat and cover being of such weight in relation to said cellular rubber as to deform the cellular rubber portion thereof to the extent necessary to provide substantially an airtight seal between the toilet bowl and the seat and between the seat and the cover.

2. The combination of a toilet seat and cover adapted for use in combination with a toilet bowl to deaden sounds incident to the use of the toilet comprising a seat formed of rubber and having an arcuate reinforcing member embedded therein, attaching members secured to said reinforcing member and projecting from the rubber of said seat for attaching the seat to a bowl, said seat presenting a downwardly facing sealing surface formed of resilient, cell tight, gas expanded rubber having sound deadening properties and adapted to engage the upper surface of a toilet bowl to seal the space therebetween, said cover also being formed with a downwardly facing sealing surface formed of resilient, cell tight gas expanded rubber, having sound deadening properties and adapted to engage the upper surface of the seat to seal the space therebetween, said seat and cover being of such weight in relation to the material of said sealing surfaces as to deform the material to the extent necessary to provide substantially an airtight seal between the toilet bowl and the seat and between the seat and the cover.

3, The combination of a toilet bowl, a seat and a cover therefor characterized by the fact that the seat comprises a reinforcing member embedded in a plastic composition which presents continuous upper and lower surfaces of soft resilient material adapted to be deformed to seal the space between said seat and said cover and the space between said seat and said toilet bowl and cooperating therewith to completely seal the space within the toilet bowl and to cause a partial vacuum to be produced therein when the toilet is flushed.

4. The combination of a water closet bowl, 2. seat and a cover therefor characterized by the fact that said elements include means presenting cooperating surfaces which when the seat and cover are lowered serve to seal the space between the seat and the cover and the space between the seat and the toilet bowl, the cooperating surfaces of said means comprising parts formed of soft, resilient, readily deformable material having sound deadening properties, said seat and cover being of such weight in relation to the material of which said parts are formed as to deform said parts sufficiently to provide an airtight seal between the elements and cause a partial vacuum to be produced within the space within the toilet bowl when the toilet is flushed.

5. The combination of a Water closet bowl, a seat and a cover therefor characterized by thefact that said elements include means presenting cooperating surfaces which when the seat and cover are lowered serve to seal the space between the seat and the cover and the space between the seat and the toilet bowl, the cooperating surfaces of said means comprising parts formed of soft, resilient, readily deformable cellular rubber having sound deadening properties and presenting an outer surface impervious to liquids, said seat and. cover being of such weight in relation to the cellular rubber of which said parts are formed as to deform said part-s sufficiently to provide an airtight seal between the elements and cause a partial vacuum to be produced within the space within the toilet bowl when the toilet is flushed.

6. The combination of a toilet seat and cover characterized by the fact that the upper surface of the seat is formed of soft resilient, readily deformable material and the cover is formed with a downwardly facing surface complementary to the upper surface of the seat and engagable therewith to provide substantially an airtight seal between the seat and cover when the cover is lowered.

'7. The combination of a toilet seat and cover characterized by the fact that the upper surface of the seat is formed of soft, resilient, cellular rubber capable of being readily deformed and the cover is formed with a downwardly facing surface complementary to the upper surface of the seat and engagable therewith, said cover being of such weight in relation to the cellular rubber as to deform the cellular rubber sufficiently to provide substantially an airtight seal between the seat and cover when the cover is lowered.

8. The combination of a toilet bowl and a seat and a cover therefor characterized by the fact that the seat comprises a reinforcing mem ber embedded in a body of cellular rubber having an outer surface which is impervious to liquids and which presents continuous upwardly and downwardly facing sealing surfaces complementary to the adjacent faces of said cover and the toilet bowl to seal the space between said seat and cover and the space between said seat and the toilet bowl to provide a substantially airtight closure for the space within the toilet bowl and serving to muffle sounds produced within the bowl when the toilet is flushed.

9. The combination of a toilet seat and cover adapted for use with a toilet bowl and characterized by the fact that the upper surface of the seat and'the lower surface of the cover are each formed of soft, resilient, readily deformable material and present complementary surfaces engageable to cooperate in providing substantially an airtight seal between the seat and cover.

10. The combination of a toilet seat and cover adapted for use with a toilet bowl and characterized by the fact that the upper surface of the seat and the upper surface of the cover are each formed of soft resilient readily deformable material, the lower surface of the cover being formed to cooperate with the upper surface of the seat to provide substantially an airtight seal between the seat and cover when the cover is lowered and the upper surfaces of both the seat and cover c0- operating to provide a comfortable resilient seat serviceable when the toilet is in use.

11. The combination of a toilet bowl, a seat and a cover therefor, characterized by the fact that both the seat and the cover are formed with upper and lower surfaces formed of soft, resilient, readily deformable material and the lower surface of the cover and the upper and lower surfaces of the seat are formed to cooperate with each other and with the toilet bowl to seal the space between the seat and cover and the space between the seat and the toilet bowl to seal the space therebetween when the seat and cover are lowered and to muflle or deaden sounds produced within the toilet bowl on flushing of the toilet. g 12. The combination of a toilet bowl, a seat and a cover therefor characterized by the fact that the seat comprises a reinforcing member embedded in a plastic composition which presents continuous upper and lower surfaces of soft, resilient, readily deformable material cooperating with the adjacent surfaces of the cover and toilet bowl to seal the space between said seat and said cover and the space between said seat and said toilet bowl to completely seal the space within the toilet bowl and cause a partial vacuum to be produced therein when the toilet is flushed, one of said elements being provided with deodorizing means in communication with the space within the toilet bowl whereby the passage of deodorant into the bowl is promoted by the creation of a vacuum therein.

' BESS WINDING. 

